The WWE 2K series is riding high after consecutive successful launches, with WWE 2K23 becoming the highest-rated game in the franchise’s history. After rolling out WarGames as a playable match, a bevy of updates to the franchise, and a really robust Showcase mode, it was hard to imagine how 2K could top last year’s iteration.
Over the weekend, I got a first look at WWE 2K24 as part of a hands-on preview event just hours before the Royal Rumble in St. Petersburg, and the early results are promising. The game is far from finished, but gameplay remains strong from last year’s edition and the graphics felt like a slight upgrade in terms of crisp character models, the return of the ramp facing camera view, and greater attention to detail in superstar entrances.
This year’s iteration has some significant additions that bolster the gameplay and add unpredictability and excitement to matches, like saving up three finishing moves for Super Finishers, opportunities to perform a top rope dive onto a group of opponents outside the ring, new Paybacks, throwing weapons, and a sleek new Trading Blows mini-game.
I saw the Trading Blows mini-game in action, which requires you to time holding the right button to keep superstars trading shots while the crowd goes nuts, and it felt like one of the most realistic additions to a game in recent memory. Add in the fact that 2K is porting in real WWE referees you see week to week in the ring, and it feels extremely close to a WWE-style TV presentation.
Showcase mode this year isn’t star-driven like last year’s journey through John Cena’s career. Rather, fans are taken through 40 years of WrestleMania, letting us re-live some of the biggest moments in professional wrestling via 2K’s Slingshot Tech, which blends gameplay to actual footage of the matches and back again. I found myself just as impressed as I was from last year’s version, as I had the chance to recreate Rhea Ripley’s show-stealing match with Charlotte Flair from WrestleMania 39 as part of the Showcase, yet again earning unlockable content by hitting certain match objectives.
Another highlight of 2K24 is the addition of new match types slated to roll out this year, which ranges from the Special Guest Referee, Ambulance Match, Casket Match, Gauntlet Match, and a revised Backstage Brawl. I had the chance to test drive the new four-person version of the Backstage Brawl as part of the hands-on event. The area is incredibly expansive, with a working elevator, breakable control room glass, and a vending machine with throwable sodas. The backstage area has a second level, but my only frustration in the space came when I couldn’t perform a diving maneuver from the upper section of the space a la Hell in a Cell.
I also got a quick look at the Ambulance Match, which offered no real surprises as far as how to finish the match. The gameplay is relatively simple — beat your opponent until they can’t escape your attempt to throw them into the back of the ambulance and complete a mini-game to close the door. Throughout the match, you can also open and close the ambulance doors, climb to the top of the ambulance, throw your opponent off, and beat them around the ring. In a first look, WWE’s Xavier Woods also shared an update I didn’t see live, which is that you can travel backstage during the Ambulance Match, interact with the Backstage Brawl area (around the 23 minute mark), and finish the match in a second ambulance positioned in that space.
Some of 2K’s biggest features weren’t immediately available, but I can’t wait to see what all is captured in this year’s full Showcase mode. Alongside returning matches like WarGames, I am looking forward to causing chaos in Special Guest Referee and making matches mean more with Double Title opportunities. Add in MyFaction, a revamped MyGM mode, new career experiences in MyRise, new stipulations in Universe, and a robust Creation Suite that features Create-A-Referee and Create-A-Sign, and 2K24 looks like it’s ready to keep building on the game’s recent success.
Uproxx was invited on a hosted trip by 2K Sports for reporting on this piece. You can find out more about our policy on press trips/hostings here.
